Passport Photo Failure

If you need to get a passport you have to call the post office, make an appointment and obviously, go to your appointment. This would be easier if the Sand Lake Post Office, Located on Turkey Lake Rd, Orlando, would actually answer the phone.

So If you need to get a passport, go stand in line at the post office for 30 minutes and make an appointment to come back the following week to get your passport.

I did this.

Then I went to my appointment and the line was out the door, again. I was faced with a dilemma. I knew if I waited in line I would be late and miss my appointment. So I took the chance and called the passport number again to let them know I was there. The woman on the phone said she did not work there and to just go stand in the front of the line and the lady on the end would know what I was there for. I said "You want me to go get in front of 20 people who have been waiting in line for 30 minutes? To get the attention of one of the two people assisting them to take her into the back and bring the help down to one person?" She said "Yes, do you understand?" I just hung up the phone and left the post office.

I went home and googled to see if I could find another place to get it done. I am going back to Clearwater on Monday for a doctors appointment so I looked there. There are quite a few so I called, no one answered. SURPRISE! But I left a message and lucky for me I got a call back two minutes later! The woman was so nice. They did not have any spots available on Monday but she told me I could go to the traffic court without an appointment. She was very helpful. So that is my new plan. To get the passport in Clearwater, on Monday, at Traffic Court.

I thought it maybe easier if I went ahead and got my pictures done.

I had two done already but I had to send them in with my MCI application. My first set were done at Fedex/Kinkos, but i heard they are cheaper and Walgreens. So I stopped by before class.

I ent straight to the back where the photo department is located and no one was back there, except a girl stocking shelves. She looked at me and said

"What do you need?"

"I need passport photos"

"ASSOCIATE TO PHOTO DEPARTMENT!"

five minutes later:

"ASSOCIATE TO PHOTO DEPARTMENT"

Now two people come over at once I tell them I need passport photos she says "stand here, how many you need? okay its finna take 15 minutes" I then asked if i could pick them up later she said ya.

I went to class and got back to Walgreens about four hours later. Again, no one was in the photo department. But I found someone and she grabbed my photos I asked if I could see them, they were horrible. She asked if I liked them and I said no but I will just go somewhere else and pay for them again. She said no no I can take more.

We then had about a ten minute photo shoot in the back of Walgreens because they use a 12.2 megapixel digital camera that has a lot of trouble focusing on anything. We finally get one and print it and realize it is still blurry.

We take another and print that one. Then a guy comes back, who clearly is the person who should be working the photo department and asked what we are doing. He looks at the picture and says it is too far away that we have to take another. So we do and look at it on the computer and he says okay that one should be okay.

"Should be okay?"

"Yes, should be okay."

"You know, I think I would just be more comfortable going to the post office to get them done."

"What?"

"The post office, they send off for the passport they should know what will work so I will just go there. I do not what to get charged twice for photos because you did not know how to do them correctly."

"So I just printed three of these for nothing?"

"Yes, yes you did. Have a good night."

And I left.

It was a completely unsuccessful day. No passport. Not even photos.

Can we all agree Walgreens is not competent enough to print passport photos?